Something Unexpected
by ResilientWriterGirl
Summary: Slight AU in which Ed Tucker works for HNT. He and Olivia meet during a case and have unexpected reactions to each other. Set during Season 13.
1. The Beginning

I'm baaaaaaaackkkkk. This is slightly AU. Rather than Ed being in IAB, he's in HNT. Olivia is the same. This takes place after Elliot's departure; Amaro and Rollins are now in SVU but Carisi has not yet arrived. Things will be *shudders* complicated, but not in the bullshit way that the show has half-assedly attempted. In the end, I adore Tuckson.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters that you recognize yada yada yada. Mistakes are mine.

* * *

"Benson!" Cragen's voice boomed across the squad room; she looked up from the paperwork on her desk for just a moment before he added, "My office. Now." Sighing, she rose. No matter how many times this happened, she always felt a little bit like a schoolgirl being called to the Principal's office to be disciplined. Entering the room, she closed the door behind her quietly, expecting the worst though she couldn't recall a recent instance of wrongdoing.

"You asked to see me Cap?"

When he motioned for Olivia to sit, she couldn't resist the quip, "So this is serious, huh? What'd I do this time?" His pointed look shut her up immediately; she used to be the golden girl. She was only ever yelled at when her partner, former partner, had dragged her into something or vice versa. They'd covered for each other, had each other's backs for years, and ever since he left her without a goodbye Olivia had been floundering for solid footing. Cragen knew how deeply Elliot's departure had affected her, but he couldn't let her keep sulking forever.

 _"Detectives come and go, Liv. I know that we never expected Elliot to go out this way, but you have to let him go… if not for you, then for the vics. They don't deserve anything less than your best. I need you to do better, and part of that means playing nice with the newbies." Don squeezed her shoulder lightly before walking away, hoping that his mini speech would do the trick, knowing that it would take a lot more than that for her to let Elliot Stabler go. The two were like fire and gasoline, a dangerous combination that grew heated quickly, consuming all in their wake, including them. A connection that ran so deep didn't just disappear._

Shaking off the memory, he cleared his throat and began. "A seven year old girl and her thirteen year old sister were taken by their mother's boyfriend, four hours ago, from their brownstone in Murray Hill. Maria Anders, thirty-seven, was found raped and severely beaten and her daughters are missing. Amber alerts were issued and we've had reports of Callie and Leah with Evan Bronsen, thirty-six. They're holed up in an apartment on 36th and 3rd. A friend of mine runs the 17th, and he wants the best Liv. The mother is adamant that Bronsen is going to hurt her children and you're the best with kids Olivia. I need you in on this."

"You got it Cap."

Her head was in the game and she almost didn't hear Cragen add, "Olivia, I've heard that HNT isn't the easiest to get through to sometimes, so don't be afraid to hold your ground. I trust your judgment and Captain Kosinski will take that into account." She nodded and quickly left, grabbing her jacket and gearing up for whatever situation was waiting.

* * *

"Detective Benson, SVU," she flashed her badge. Maneuvering through the cops rearing to take this guy down, she found Captain Kosinksi.

"Benson," he held out a hand in formal greeting, "Glad to meet ya. Don says you're the best with child vics."

She nodded in greeting while shaking his hand and dove in. "What do we got in there?"

"Looks like Bronsen has the Callie, the older one in the bedroom, and Leah is tied up in the living room." She stiffened immediately, wanting to race in and save those girls from any possible harm, knowing she was likely too late.

"Any contact?"

The seasoned cop shook his head sadly. "He hasn't responded to any of our attempts yet." Kosinksi wiped his forehead in frustration. "He has a gun according to the wounds inflicted to Maria. Looks like she was repeatedly hit with it. We have a sniper ready to go, but I want to do everything we can to avoid that. I don't want these girls traumatized any more than they already have been, but I refuse to let them die."

"Understood."

"Hey Captain. The boys are getting antsy out here. We need to make contact soon or I say we head in. Standing out here not negotiating anything isn't gonna get us anywhere." The gruff voice was laced with impatience and Olivia wanted nothing more than to erase the smugness from it. She spun around immediately, trying to ignore the icy blue eyes that sent shivers down her back; she did always have a thing for blue eyes after all.

"If you go in there, guns blazing, you might as well pull the trigger on those girls yourself. We should wait. Make contact in any way we can. We cannot let those little girls die just because you have someplace you'd rather be," she snapped.

"Do I know you?" he fired back. "Oh, you're the SVU cop from the 16th. Benson, right? Well let me inform you how his works. Bronsen's not making any effort to contact us. If he doesn't have demands, he's made up his mind about how this is gonna end. There's a good chance those girls are already dead." Turning back to Kosinski he continued, "Cap, at least if we gear up and go in soon we have a chance of getting Bronsen alive."

The captain watched as the female detective scoffed and tried to not yell at Tucker. The situation would have been amusing to watch had there not been three lives at stake, two of which were children, the other the one he desperately wanted to rot in jail.

He was about to respond to the two before him when a voice rang out behind him from behind.

"Cap! The mom is awake at the hospital," he called out. "She spoke to Smith and Caruthers and said Callie told her that Evan Bronsen raped and threatened her. Maria flipped and confronted him, told him to get out but he beat her, hit her with a gun. He told her that he was taking both girls and was gonna quote 'do that little bitch Leah too before blowing their brains out.' Cap I think we gotta get in there soon."

Olivia's blood boiled. That piece of shit had raped a thirteen-year-old girl, her mother, and was planning on doing the same thing to a seven year old. Fire burned behind her eyes and she turned, grabbing Tucker's wrist.

"Let's go get that bastard now."

"I'm all for your change of plans, but we have to play this smart. We need to lure Bronsen out in front of the window and get Callie away from him. Then we'll have a clear shot."

"Alright, so…" Olivia and the others listened intently while Tucker and Kosinski formulated a plan. Knowing the kids were already traumatized and not likely to come with a man, Benson was going up too. Luckily they saw the logic in the situation because she was determined to go up there whether or not they approved.

* * *

Everything had gone according to plan as they entered the building. They'd even manager to open the door without too much issue, but Bronsen wouldn't let Callie go. Tucker tried reasoning with him, but Evan was too far gone, and nothing he said would change the situation. Knowing exactly what would, Olivia stepped into the apartment against all orders and demands. Ed Tucker was fuming behind her, gripping his gun even tighter. _She's such a pain in the ass. What the fuck does she think she's doing!?_

"Bronsen, I have a question for ya," she called. She stopped just inside the threshold, far enough away to keep him from doing anything drastic but close enough to shake his composure. "Why Callie? What, you didn't want a fight?" Evan shifted on his feet, angry nowhere close to describing him. He was keyed up, his eyes red and frantic, his jaw clenched. "Were you afraid that a real woman would reject you and hurt your little feelings?" She prayed to a god she didn't believe in that Callie and Leah would tune out her voice. "Oh, I get it. You're not strong enough to handle someone like me are you," she stared him down, challenging him.

"You bitch, you don't know—" he stepped forward, letting go of Callie who promptly fell to the floor. The gunshot rang out inside the apartment and everything went still for the briefest of moments.

Reacting as quickly as she could, Olivia reached Callie first, holding her close and telling her that she was safe, that she'd be okay. First responders rushed in, untying Leah and assessing her injuries.

It all went by in a blur. The fog of destruction loomed like a cloud over them, a mix of feelings swirling in their minds.

The girls were quickly loaded into ambulances and just before Olivia hopped into the back, she felt a hand on her arm. Pausing, she turned unhappily to great the face of Ed Tucker.

"You know how lucky you were back there? What the hell was that vigilante work Benson?" he spat angrily. "We had orders."

"We did," she acknowledged, but never one to back down continued, "I got him to move, just like we needed."

"You could've gotten yourself or anyone else in that room killed!" Determined to get to Bellevue, she hopped into the back of the bus, almost missing Tucker's last jab.

"You screw your partner over like that, too?"

 _Fuck him._

* * *

Frankie's was an offbeat bar usually frequented by a few regulars and some travelers looking for a homey feel. She wasn't in the mood for the cop bar she favored or any company tonight, though a few men had approached her already. She'd sent them off immediately, sipping on her glass of merlot. That had been an hour ago. Now she was on her third glass, deciding that she'd just take a cab home. Her pleasant buzz had just started to take the edge off the day when a familiar voice snapped her back into reality.

"Hey Frankie. Can I have my usual?"

"Sure thing, Eddie." Frankie, the older gentleman nodded at Tucker and poured him a glass of bourbon, sliding it to the man.

Ed sat down a ways from Olivia, throwing back his drink.

"Tough day?" Frankie always asked, despite Ed's answer remaining the same.

"Always is Frankie. Always is." Tucker leaned back and noticed a woman he hadn't seen in the bar before. Her brown hair fell down to her shoulders in soft waves covering her face, and he took the time to appreciate her appearance. A maroon blouse clung to her curves, and dark pants accentuated her long legs.

The bartender watched Ed's face as he admired her, and was only slightly surprised when he nodded his head toward her drink.

When a fourth glass of wine appeared in front of her, she had half a mind to drink it, however, the look of question in her eyes was returned with a nod at none other than Ed Tucker. He raised his blue eyes to meet the storm in her brown ones and was stunned to see that he'd sent a drink to Benson, the pain in the ass detective from the 1-6.

Standing, she moved to grab her jacket but was stilled by Tucker's hand, yet again.

"Benson wait! I'm sorry about my comment earlier. I was out of line."

"Yes. You were." If looks could kill, he was sure he'd have about twenty-five bullets in his chest. Seeing that he wasn't willing to let go that easily, she sighed and sat back down, this time with Ed Tucker next to her.

"For what it's worth, I don't think Kosinksi is going to say anything to your captain." Her brows furrowed as she turned to him.

"What do you mean?" She knew she'd gone off-script. She also knew that she did what she thought was best for those girls, but that it could've easily gone the other way.

Ed cleared his throat, "I uh, I told him I gave you the nod to go ahead." His gruff voice was almost shy in the answer, but he continued before she could press him. "It wouldn't have done any good. We, you, got the girls outta there and we took down that bastard. I'd call that a win."

Heaviness settled over them and silence engulfed the space as they drifted into their own minds for a few moments.

"It's not a win for the Anders. Not really. They will never be the same. Their childhoods are over now...it's just… they're too young." Changing her mind about the wine, she reached for the fourth glass and welcomed the way it felt.

"You're right. But they are alive, Benson. That's more than I can say sometimes."

* * *

It wasn't long before more patrons gathered in the small space. The room was filled with conversations and a lighter air prevailed. Frankie asked Olivia about her time in the academy; his son had been Ed's best friend growing up and the pair had graduated together so Frankie heard all about their adventures. The wine had loosened her up and she surprisingly told a few stories, causing Frankie's laughter throughout the bar and Ed's eyes to crinkle with joy.

She loved his eyes. He had a good poker face, but his eyes told a different story. They were expressive in their own right, a beautiful blue that betrayed him. The alcohol had dulled the hardships of their jobs, and Olivia hadn't been so relaxed in a while. She wasn't thinking about Elliot and how he'd abandoned her. She wasn't dwelling on her struggle to accept the new additions to SVU. She wasn't caught up thinking about work at all. Instead, she just was. The relief of just being in the moment wasn't lost on her.

Tucker was surprisingly funny; he wasn't at all like what she'd expected. Olivia had heard stories from colleagues that had worked with him: he'd make the perfect IAB rat. He played by the rules and didn't accept anything else, was keenly aware of his surroundings, and didn't mess around. The man had been rumored to be completely uptight, straight-laced, and utterly boring. She'd encountered a man vastly different from how he'd been described. He played by the rules, but accepted that sometimes things didn't go that way. His smirk was devastating and his shy confidence intrigued the hell out of her.

Realizing the time, she stood to grab her jacket again, this time determined to actually make it home. After all, she did have to work in the morning. Tucker stood with her and gently guided her out of Frankie's, his hand on the small of her back.

She turned to face him and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "You are not what I expected Ed Tucker."

"I can say the same for you Benson." He shifted almost nervously with his hands in his pockets. A group of drunken men passed by, one bumping into Olivia causing her to lurch toward him. Reflexes kicking in, Ed stepped forward and steadied her. His hand was around her waist and hers relaxed on his arm. He inhaled the not quite flowery but sweet scent of her shampoo before she raised her head.

"I had a nice time with you tonight Olivia. I'm glad you weren't what I expected." Her eyes watched his lips as he spoke, meeting his gaze after he spoke her name.

"I… I did too," she whispered. He moved imperceptibly closer, desperate to close the gap between them. She threw him off-balance; he'd always been a confident man. This though, this woman who seemed to be the strongest yet most sensitive person he'd ever met did not afford him the courtesy.

She wanted his lips pressed against hers but the thought petrified her; the last man who'd kissed her had... _No. No Olivia do not go down that road._

He could feel her breath.

His smelled like a mixture of bourbon and cinnamon and she wondered how that could be so intoxicating.

Their lips were mere inches apart when she suddenly stopped.

"Goodnight Ed," she rasped, before turning away.

* * *

 **Thoughts? I'd love to hear what you think one way or another #tuckson**


	2. Reunited

_I DID say I would update this... it's far from over. I have a plan mapped out, but the details were eluding me. Sorry about the wait! I promise, I will keep writing. It just takes me some time._

 _Disclaimer: I don't own them, blah blah blah. Mistakes are, however, mine._

 _(PS thoughts are in italics and texts are in bold)_

* * *

He hadn't expected to see her again, but there she was, sitting at the bar in the same seat she'd chosen before. Despite the way things had ended the last time, he slowly made his way over to her. Her hair was longer than it had been; he immediately decided that it suited her.

"Benson, didn't think you were coming back here," he casually inquired with a slight smirk.

She turned to face him, grinning. "Why's that?"

"Well," he began, sitting next to her, "For starters it's been a while." Signaling Frankie, he ordered his usual. The older man smiled at Ed, a man he'd thought of like a son.

"Yeah well, it kinda comes with the territory don't you think?"

Not one to miss a beat, he mocked disbelief. "What, you mean being a detective for the NYPD isn't a nine-to-five job? Shocking." Olivia didn't bother to stifle her laughter. _God he loved the sound of her laugh._

Of course, Ed wasn't the only one to take notice of the radiant woman next to him. He surveyed the room and saw the desire in many patron's eyes, jealousy in others. Her dark shirt was clinging to her curves and dipped just low enough to entice the imagination, but not low enough to show too much. Her jeans hugged her in a similar fashion. Olivia Benson was gorgeous, and now that Ed was sitting with her again, he wasn't going to lose his chance. There was just something about her.

Casual conversation kept the two occupied as they sipped on their drinks, bourbon for him and a beer for her. Ed was working up the courage to ask her out; he'd asked around about her and nobody thought she was seeing anybody. He took his time, learning a bit more about her. He was enthralled. Incredible didn't begin to describe the woman sitting next to him. Deciding the bite the bullet, he took a gulp of his bourbon and set it down gently on the bar.

"Olivia, I uh..." Before he'd even said her name she noted his nervousness, though she was sure he wasn't accustomed to the feeling. He was nervous about being nervous and it was flattering. "Are you seeing anybody?"

The question took her aback. She was used to being hit on by men in bars. For the most part, she ignored the attention sent her way. But... there was something so sincere and genuine about Ed Tucker. Though she hadn't thought of him in that way since the first night she'd met him, there was a spark of curiousity, an ounce of desire. She, lord help her, wanted to know more about him, a thought that scared her after everything with Elliot and David.

The sudden realization that she hadn't answered him yet made her cheeks flush.

"No, I'm not." He tried to hide his relief at her answer, but she read it all over his face.

This time he spoke confidently, "Go out to dinner with me this week?" He didn't know her that well, but he knew enough to not demand anything from her.

"You sure you can handle it?" _My God did I really just say that out loud?_ After considering his slightly faltering expression, she dared to accept. "I'd love to." Leaning in tantalizingly close, she whispered in his ear, "But right now, I'd really like to kick your ass at pool Tucker."

A boisterous laugh came from the opposite side of the bar, causing both heads to turn.

"You sure you wanna do that? Eddie here is a real champ at pool," Frankie beamed.

She laughed, quickly responding, "I think I can take him," before hopping off the stool and heading towards the pool table.

 _She can take my any time she wants to._

* * *

She did, in fact, beat him at pool, much to the delightful surprise of both Ed and Frankie. She was fiercely competitive with him, just as he was with her. Other men had tried to interrupt their time but none captured more than an ounce of her attention. Instead of engaging with the men, she politely sent them on their way. She was spending the evening with Ed Tucker and him alone.

Deciding that it was getting late, he offered to walk her to her car down the block a ways, but she declined. Deep down she knew that if she let him, she'd probably do more than just kiss him goodnight. This time, she wanting to do things differently. For whatever inexplicable reason, Olivia felt like setting a slow pace with him. He seemed worth it. In her brief relationship with David Haden, they hadn't exactly gone slow.

Still, Ed's hand found the small of her back, just like the last time, as he led her out of the bar. Liv tried to ignore the physical reaction she had to his simple touch, though it wasn't working. The man gave her damn butterflies and set her skin ablaze.

Turning to face him she smiled, and he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"I'll call you later this week." His subtle smirk did nothing to contain the excitement that exuded from his sparkling blue eyes.

Kissing his cheek, she stepped back. "I look forward to it."

They went their separate ways as Ed turned, walking back to his place at the bar. He couldn't seem to wipe the grin off his face and of course Frankie noticed. The man may not seem like much, but he'd been married for forty-one years before his wife died, and he was a very observant man. His wife had taught him many things, but the greatest was to really see people, not just look at them.

"She's something Eddie." Never one to mince words, he added, "Don't fuck it up."

Meanwhile, Olivia headed to her car. She too had a soft smile playing on her lips.

Across the street, a man in the shadows had watched Olivia Benson kiss Ed Tucker. He couldn't tell if it was on the cheek or not, but it didn't matter. Regret and anger bubbled inside him. He had to do something about it. He had to fix it as soon as possible.

* * *

Soft music filled her apartment as Liv settled on the couch. She knew she should head to bed, but she couldn't stop replaying the night in her head. Ed Tucker. He'd worn a blue polo which somehow made his eyes even brighter. The man was incredibly attractive. Even his muscular arms screamed sex; he was clearly more than enough to satisfy her.

Before her thoughts could take her too far in that direction, a knock at the door interrupted.

She quickly made her way over and checked the peep hole. _Why the hell is he here?_ Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and greeted her guest.

"David, what are you doing here?" She motioned for him to come inside. As much as she didn't want to listen to a thing he said, she liked her neighbors hearing it even less.

He didn't wait before beginning, "What are you doing with Ed Tucker?"

"Excuse me?" She was genuinely confused. David Haden was nowhere inside Frankie's, and she'd only seen Ed there twice ever.

"You and Ed? Really Olivia? You think that's smart?"

"David, what the hell are you talking about?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the man she was previously involved with. "I barely know him, and it's really none of your concern anyways."

"Olivia… Liv, look I still care about you okay?" She scoffed and turned away, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "He's not a good guy. I don't want you to get hurt."

Despite her better judgment, she muttered, "Well I highly doubt he'd ever be in a place to choose a job over me, so I think I'll be fine."

Unable to be in the same space as her and have no contact, David stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her arm.

"I turned them down. I told you that." David tried to remain calm, but his voice grew a little louder and more pointed as he went on. "It took me a few days, but Olivia, I wasn't happy without you. I chose you. I still… Olivia I love you."

"Well you chose me a little too late David. I'm not mad, I understand. You worked too hard to give it up, and I'm not the woman who would ever make you, or even want you to. Now can you please just say whatever else you came to say before I go to bed?" Ignoring the fact that he had professed his love to her as if no time had passed, she was resigned to the situation. She backed away from him as he swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding. He did want her. Losing Olivia, choosing a job over her for a split second, was one of his biggest regrets.

"Fine. Look, Tucker," he spat the name, "was in narcotics about eight years ago. They had a major bust going down but things got out of hand. Instead of having his partner's back, Tucker went in on his own and got his partner killed. Cal O'Reilly was a good cop, and his so-called partner may as well have pulled the trigger himself." He stepped closer to Olivia and looked her in the eyes. "You sure you wanna be around a lowlife like that?"

She vaguely remembered O'Reilly being killed in the line of duty, but hadn't heard the details. David's story had her mind swirling with possibilities. She was rarely wrong about a person's character, but she'd been wrong before. She'd been wrong about Elliot. Even still, David was too close and far too interested in her romantic life. It was too much.

"Okay, so you told me. You can go now David. I'm sure you have important meetings in the morning." He followed her oh-so-subtle implication, but paused just shy of the threshold.

"Olivia, if I could go back and do it again, I wouldn't have even considered the job for a second. I miss you, for what it's worth." His sad smile was the last thing she saw before she closed the door and locked it. _Am I wrong about Tucker?_

Hearing the text tone from her phone, she grabbed it off the counter. She sent up a silent prayer that it wasn't work.

 **I hope you made it home safely. I look forward to our date. –Ed**

 **I did, and I am too. Good night Tucker. –Liv**

 **Good night Benson. –Ed**

With a slight sigh, she headed back to the couch. It was going to a long week, but despite David's warning, she was excited about her date with Ed. She just needed to make sure she'd judged him correctly first.

* * *

Light filtered in through the window and Olivia stirred. _Thank God I bought a comfortable couch. I'm getting too old for this._ It was a relatively quiet morning in the city. Of course, the ever present noises of traffic and people littered the streets, but her apartment was still.

Coffee was the first thing on her to do list. Stretching, she moved from the couch to the kitchen to start a fresh pot. As soon as that was started, she moved again, gathering up her laundry from the bedroom and bathroom. She made her way back just in time to enjoy the fresh aroma of caffeinated bliss.

Looking forward to the prospect of a lazy, yet productive day, she took her time sipping her drink. Unfortunately, any time she wasn't busy catching perps, taking victim statements, or typing up DD-5s, she had the rare opportunity to think about her own life. Her job had become everything over the years, and she wanted more. She'd wanted a baby for a while, but she'd been rejected or adoption and her relationship track record was a bit of a flop. That said, she really had loved David and even imagined her life with him. After everything that happened with Elliot, he'd been a breath of fresh air. Deep down, she knew that they probably wouldn't last, but she'd still fallen for him. He was charming, determined, kind and handsome. His job complicated them, but so had their trust issues from previous relationships; his with his ex-wife, hers with Elliot. She'd been reluctant to take any steps forward with the lawyer because she'd been terrified to fall for someone so hard again. Elliot Stabler had crushed her when he left, and it wasn't just because of his retirement.

 _Why am I even trying to do this again?_

Ed Tucker… there was just something about him and she was already too interested for her own liking. _Damn those perfect blue eyes._

* * *

 _Up next: The date and a little bit more about our favorite couple. Leave me a review?_


End file.
